


chains & whips excite me

by pettigrace



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Bad Flirting, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Crack, Good Theo Raeken, Halloween Challenge, Halloween Costumes, M/M, OTLHalloweenfest18, Theo is a cop, believe it or not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 09:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16472771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pettigrace/pseuds/pettigrace
Summary: Theo is ordered to visit a Halloween party.





	chains & whips excite me

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my contribution to OfficialThiamLibrary's Halloween fest! The prompt I got was "You’re a cop here to break up the party but i thought it was a costume and may have made some inappropriate suggestions regarding your handcuffs." I didn't stick to it perfectly, but hey. 
> 
> Also, this consists mostly of backstory for this verse, lmao, I'm sorry. Maybe I'll write more of it at some point.
> 
> The title is form Rihanna's "S&M".

Theo figured it’ll be an easy task - and so did the Sheriff, especially since he’s supposed to… well, not break up, not  _ yet _ at least, but to go to a party hosted by none other than Scott and Stiles. Who are not only his best friends but the latter also the son of Sheriff Stilinski.

So he tells Parrish to stay in the car, after all this whole thing takes place at Scott’s mom’s house and Melissa would flip out if anything really went to hell. The two of them can’t be going around and breaking stuff. Theo’s pretty sure Melissa would even find a way to ground  _ him _ even if he weren’t there and nevermind the fact that he - as well as his friends - is in his mid-twenties. Basically, there’s no way there will be any violence; it’s just the volume of the old pop punk that blasts through the neighbourhood. Parrish is on board with his plan, too - he knows whose house they’re at, of course.

Theo’s not a fan of parties, never had been, so actually he had been quite happy to have to work on Halloween. It meant less time with his friends, though, which sucks since Stiles is not even in California most of the year and Scott’s still enrolled at Davis to become a vet. He’d have loved to spend every minute they’re in Beacon with them but… not if it means a party.

Thinking about it, he should have connected the dots earlier.

He’s barely in the house - the door’s open wide, leaving space for all the guests to go outside for a smoke or fresh air whenever they want - when there’s already an arm around his shoulder. Stiles’ laugh is loud and clear in his ear even through the bandages covering his head. “Ha, I  _ knew _ it’d work!”

_ Now _ , everything falls into place. Theo closes his eyes for a moment and groans. He has to yell, actually, to make himself be heard. “Don’t tell me you did this on purpose.”

Stiles laughs again. “Jeez, and here I thought you were faster, man.”

And honestly? With all the shit they’ve pulled in the past - together  _ or _ on their own - this shouldn’t even surprise him. Stiles has always been the one to come up with crazy shit (though, of course, it’s always been in kind of a grey space; not as bad as what Theo had let himself be pulled into during Junior Year), so it only makes sense he’d orchestrate this whole ordeal to get him to show up after all. “You know distracting the police can be counted as a felony, right?”

“Well, you can totally go ahead and fine the Sheriff’s son, if you want,” Stiles smiles brightly. Even through the bandages  - he looks like a mummy, actually, but Theo’s not sure what kind of mummy wears a leather jacket - the bright red of his cheeks is visible. He must have downed quite a few beers already.

Theo sighs. “Noah’s  _ not _ involved in this, is he?”

Stiles snorts in return. “Dude, you think he wouldn’t have kicked my ass already?”

“True,” Theo tilts his head. He takes in the crowd around them. There’s people talking, mostly, some are dancing in a way that’s in no way suited for Fall Out Boy, and naturally some are kissing as well. “Where’s Derek and Lydia?”

Stiles frowns a little. “Lydia’s…  _ somewhere _ , I guess. And you know Derek, he’s as bad as you, so he went home after a few minutes.”

Theo can’t help but grin at that. As annoyed as Stiles acts, there’s a hint of fondness in his voice at the mention of his boyfriend. He still can’t describe why exactly, but somehow Stiles and Derek just  _ fit _ . “Poor you,” he offers dryly.

He doubts that Stiles really misses the sarcasm in his voice but that doesn’t stop him from heading into a rant. “I know, right?! You’d think he’d get over himself and suck it up for  _ me _ … Well, at least my best friend’s here now!”

Speaking of, he should probably go and find Scott. Stiles may be the co-host of the party but ultimately it’s Scott whom he should be talking to. He finally wriggles himself out of Stiles’ embrace and tells him seriously, “Halloween’s one of the busiest days of the year, man.”

Stiles rolls his eyes. “Dad wouldn’t have sent you out because of  _ noise _ if you guys were too busy.”

“I can’t hang around. I’m on duty. Plus, Parrish is waiting in the car.”, Theo answers. He’s glad that he’s always been quite resistant to Stiles’ attempt at pupps eyes - if it were Scott pouting at him, though… He can only hope he’s the rational one today. “So, where’s Scotty?”

“You’re a spoilsport.”, Stiles decides. “I sure hope he tells you the same. Though Allison might chop your head off if you disturb them. Last I saw, they went to the kitchen with Isaac to  _ talk _ .”

Theo raises an eyebrow. “Really?” From what he’s heard, there’s been tension between Scott and Isaac ever since they met at the same internship - something that he’s not only told  _ them _ during an intense facetiming session but his girlfriend as well. He hasn’t thought about acting on that, of course, but Scott’s such an honest soul, he felt the need to tell her. But then Allison’s met Isaac, too, and…  _ well _ , there’s been lots of talk about whether either of them wants to stay monogamous. They’d never dared to talk to  _ Isaac _ , though, so Theo had feared it might never happen.

“Yeah. Dude, I’m so glad.”, Stiles sighs. “He was so annoying--”

“ _ Oh _ , please. And your pining over Derek wasn’t? You literally kept texting me about how pretty he is whenever you got drunk, which was a lot, by the way. Quite concerning.”, Theo scoffs. Then he smirks, “You weren’t like this when you crushed on me, were you? Else I’d have to get Scott a better birthday present soon.”

Stiles gapes at him. “We’d agreed to  _ never _ talk about this!  _ Dude _ ! Okay, listen. I’ll turn down the music and you let Scott do his thing, okay?”

Theo presses his lips together (and files away how quickly embarrassing Stiles gets the job done). Honestly, he  _ really _ doesn’t want to interrupt that talk - it’s long overdue, plus he thinks it might have turned into  _ something else _ by now. Still, there’s rules he’s supposed to listen to. Especially in his position.

“You know my dad is soft on you,” Stiles offers with a smile. It’s probably supposed to make the guilt disappear form Theo’s chest, but somehow it causes the opposite. He  _ knows _ Noah is nicer to him than he should be, something that is most likely rooted in eh fact that he’s been friends with his son since forever (minus Junior Year, but that’s something they don’t talk about either). It’s the reason why he’s ended up at the police - first as punishment, then as an honest career choice. “And you’ll be able to get back on patrol sooner.”, Stiles adds.

It’s a point in his favour, and together with the fact that he really can’t go and disturb Scott and cast Allison’s wrath upon him, it makes him nod in agreement. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Stiles grins. “Though I  _ would _ prefer if you’d stay…” A glare from Theo makes him close his mouth.

“Don’t drink too much,” Theo tells him. “I don’t wanna spend brunch with your grumpy self.”

“But that’s what I  _ always _ have to deal with when  _ you’re _ around.”

Forgetting for a moment that he’s still in uniform, Theo sticks out his tongue. Honestly, if Stiles couldn’t deal with his mood swings, then he wouldn’t have started to date a guy who’s even worse about that than him. Come to think of it, maybe Stiles does have a type. Then, he finally breaks into a grin. “Well, Stilinski, just keep the music down, will you?”

“Sure thing, Officer Raeken,” Stiles says with a wink. He claps Theo’s shoulder once more. “See you tomorrow.”

Theo just snorts at him and watches as he stalks away. As frustrating as being friends with him can be sometimes, he can’t even describe how glad he is that his behaviour near the end of High School didn’t fully ruin that. No, as much bite as Stiles had back then - still has -, all his comments had been aimed at reminding him how he should be. He and scott really had that good cop/bad cop routine down - and now look who’s the actual officer of their group.

He turns around to get out of the house once the music’s actually gotten a bit more quiet, dodging the people that Stiles doesn’t shield him from anymore. There’s been a time where he’d enjoyed dressing up for Halloween, back when they were kids and went trick or treating, but that he’s grown out of during his teenage years. That’s why he fights the urge to shake his head as he makes his way out of the house again. They all look like they’re around his age (which makes sense, considering they’re friends with  _ his _ friends), so there’s no reason why they should still dig that.

Even if it’s beyond Stiles’ understanding, Theo has plenty of reasons to dislike parties. You have to hang out with a bunch of people you either don’t like or know - he’s not a loner, exactly, but he prefers a small round of close friends every time -, drink alcohol until you pass out (something he’s sworn off years ago) and listen to music with way too heavy beats. Honestly, that they have chosen to throw everyone back into the early 2000s right now with their emo pop punk  _ whatever _ , is a miracle. He fears it might have been a part of Stiles’ plan to keep him there.

Either way, all his dislikes only get proven as people nudge into him while he tries to make his way down to the street again (he swears the people outside must have duplicated while he was in the house), shoving against his sides. It doesn’t even surprise him any more when someone falls to the ground right in front of him, but on reflex he extends his arms and catches them.

Apparently, the guy has stumbles backwards because when Theo looks down, he is faced with a really dopey grin. His cheeks are faintly pink and for a moment, Theo can’t tell if it’s part of the make-up or not. He’s got shadows around his eyes, making the blue of them stand out even in the dim light coming from the house. 

The guy stares up at him, first with his mouth open in surprise and then with a smirk in place a moment later. Theo notes the dog ears glued to his hair - he remembers a time when costumes were supposed to look scary; where did that go? How does this guy attend a Halloween dressed up as a  _ puppy _ ? It’s the least scary thing Theo has ever seen - even more adorable than Scott’s reaction to his first actual newborn puppy, which he remembers really well.

Theo almost scoffs but is interrupted by the guy - still clinging to his arms as he says, “Woah, well,  _ you _ can catch me any time.”

Then he  _ actually _ looks up and down Theo’s body and he makes them stand up, lifting the guy in the motion. Now that he’s talked, he sounds older than his costume makes him look like. 

“You should watch your step,” Theo tells him and finally lets go off the other guy’s biceps.

“If I don’t, will you tie me up?” It takes a moment to connect the sly grin to the tone of his voice - usually, that combination only happens with smug teenagers who’ll regret their past decisions soon. Theo’s more than familiar with those, especially since he’s the prime example of those. But no, this isn’t a teenager and he’s not putting up his nose. Instead, he lets his eyes slowly wander up from the cuffs on Theo’s belt to his face.

Theo snorts. “I don’t think so.” 

“Are you sure?” Now he sounds almost innocent, even if the grin is still in place. They’re pretty much the same height, Theo’s sure about that, and yet it seems like the guy is looking  _ up _ at him as he bats his eyes repeatedly. “What if someone is, like, a  _ really _ bad, bad boy?”

Theo’s no stranger to being flirted at, either just because or because someone tries to get out of an arrest. He knows he’s fairly attractive - he’s put enough work into himself, after all. Still, it doesn’t mean he’s immune to it. Especially not when he’s actually  _ very  _ gay and the stranger in front of him is not just  _ cute  _ like his costume makes him out to be, but actually really  _ hot _ , as he notices while his eyes get accustomed to the bad lighting out here. For the first time today, he curses that he’s in uniform.

Though he can’t say he wouldn’t be overwhelmed by this  _ kinky shit _ if he were here in civil. He likes to flirt, too, of course, but he’s never  _ that _ blunt. He supposes that the guy must be drunk; it’d explain why he things it’s okay to make such comments about a cop’s cuffs.

Theo draws in a breath. “I don’t think you should--”

The guy raises an eyebrow. “Say, how big  _ exactly _ is your gun?”

Theo’s mouth drops open.

He just.

“I--” Theo licks his lips. Just  _ what the fuck _ is he supposed to say? “Wow.”

He’s pretty sure if this guy weren’t this good-looking (and really, it becomes more and more clear, as if his beauty becomes lighter as the sky gets darker) he’d already be long gone. What is it with him and being so superficial? Scott’s pointed this out a lot and he thought he’d learnt but nope, here he is, not getting the fuck away from this creepy dude just because he’s nice to look at. And he’s freaking  _ police _ .

“Liam!”, someone calls from somewhere to the side and Theo would check for whoever is coming up to them, normally, but right now he’s just staring at the guy. This time not because he’s so pretty (which he is, just look at the way his dopey grin is just so insanely bright) but because he’s searching for a hint of regret in his face. Well, the other stranger is coming closer really quickly, like they’re jogging. “Dude, what are you-- Oh, holy  _ shit _ , Deputy Raeken!”

_ Now _ Theo turns because that’s not a reaction he’s used to either. He looks up at the guy who approached them, frowning at the wide-eyed stare he gets in return. He can’t recall this lanky dude in particular, but it seems like they’ve encountered while he was on duty before, so he’ll take it. “You know my rank better than my best friend.”

“Well, you were at my school once,” the new guy explains, “Talked about, like, peer pressure or something?” He frowns lightly. “Anyway, that’s been years ago, so…”

“Oh,” Theo makes. That really was ages ago. Back when he’s just become a deputy and Noah’s still tried to de-brainwash him, so the first thing he has had to do when he came back to town was  _ give a lecture _ . At BHHS, no less. To Seniors. About his own experiences (though, gladly, he didn’t have to say it like that). Jeez, he wonders how much of a shit show that had been - probably a great one, seeing how this guy remembers him years later still.

“Oh  _ crap _ ,” Guy-Jumped-Straight-Out-Of-Theo’s dreams suddenly makes - it wouldn’t do good to wonder whether he’s been to Theo’s talk, too, seeing how he’s  _ really _ bad with faces. The guy actually shoves his hand against Theo’s torso. “You’re an  _ actual _ cop?” Even in the spare light he can tell how his complexion got way paler than before.

It makes Theo chuckle.  _ Maybe _ he’s a bit of an ass right now.

High-School-Guy (and he really should ask one of them for his name, this is ridiculous) cringes visibly at his friend. Then he slowly look at Theo. “Okay, seriously, sorry for whatever he’s said. Liam just can’t deal with alcohol and then he gets all-- I don’t even know--”

“It’s fine,” Theo says immediately. He cups  _ Liam’s _ \- a name way too average for him but maybe the last name sells the deal - hand and gently takes it off his chest as he talks. “It’s a costume party, so it’s not like you could’ve known.”

“I-- Oh my God, I can’t believe I said that stuff-- I… I thought you were a  _ stripper _ !” Liam blurts out, but he doesn’t even take the time to look embarrassed about that. Instead, he continues, “Are you here to arrest someone? Did anyone do drugs? I bet Brett did drugs, he has those eyes, they’re really crazy and it’s like--  _ Corey _ , where is  _ Mason _ ?” He suddenly turns to his friend.

Corey looks pretty unfazed, Theo has to give him that. “ _ Dude _ , you know Scott better than me, do you think he’d have strippers or hard drugs here?” He looks at Theo curtly. “ _ Any _ drugs, I mean.”

Theo chuckles. “Relax, I’m his best friend--”

“You’re not Stiles.”, Liam remarks intelligently. Theo really hopes it’s just the alcohol at fault. “Wait! So you’re actually just  _ dressed _ like a cop right now?” Now he looks more content again.

“ _ Other _ best friend,” Theo points out. “More, like, the chill kind rather than the fusion those have going on. Don’t ask me, I don’t get it either.” Was there a time he was jealous of the stronger connection Scott and stiles have with one another? He’d lie if he said no. Did that phase time up with his Junior Year? Totally. He’s learnt to live with it; actually he doesn’t even feel left out. “But I’m on duty, actually. Just here because of the noise.”

“Makes sense.”, Corey nods. “Well, again, sorry this one,” he places a hand on Liam’s shoulder, “bothered you, we’ll get out of your hair now.”

“It’s pretty hair,” Liam perks up. “Which-- I’m not allowed to say that, am I?”

Theo can’t help the smile forming on his face - turns out his first impression wasn’t all this wrong. He  _ is _ cute, even on top of how good he looks. It’s what makes him answer, “Not right now, no. But maybe when I’m off? Like, say, on Friday?”

For a moment, Liam just blinks at him. Then he breaks into another grin. “ _ Oh _ . Oh, yeah, that sounds… cool.”, he says, exaggeratedly sobery. It makes Theo, once again, chuckle. “Yeah! We can, like, text about it? I’ll just ask Scott for your number, you need to work right now, after all--”

“Sound like a plan,” Theo cuts in. He can already feel the giddiness spread in his chest-- Hopefully Parrish won’t be able to tell, he’d hate if he’ll get question after question about it tonight, considering how  _ weird _ it is. “I-- It was, um, nice to meet you,” he offers, looking at both of them.

Corey still looks quite overwhelmed, which Theo can understand pretty well.  _ Hell _ , he’s still struggling to understand what the fuck just happened. He did just  _ propose _ a date while on  _ duty _ to someone who flirted  _ awfully _ because he’s  _ drunk _ , didn’t he? And not just that -  _ Scott _ will know. Which means  _ Stiles _ will know. And then it’s just a small step to his  _ boss _ knowing. Crap.

He can’t help it, though, not just because it’s over and done because the way Liam smiles like he’s about to doze off, actually, just warms his heart. Still. “I should head off.”, Theo announces. He turns to Corey, “You better stop him from drinking any more.”

“Yeah,” he agrees immediately. “Will do.”

With all the damage done already, Theo dares to wink at Liam. “Well? See you around.”

He doesn’t miss the way Liam practically purrs in response, making it harder to finally get going. He knows he can have an effect on people when he wants to, but it’s an added side to the lot he’s already seen of Liam’s. He wants to explore them, right here and right now, and not wait until in two days. If the police car weren’t in sight to remind him that he  _ really _ should go, he probably wouldn’t manage to leave.

He can still hear the others behind him as he continues his way down the path, as if he were able to filter Corey’s voice out of the noise. A chuckle escapes his lips as he hears him go, “ _ Seriously _ , man? How the  _ fuck _ did  _ this _ help you score a  _ cop _ ?”

Honestly? Theo can’t quite explain it himself, but it’s not like anybody asked him.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Please leave a comment!**  
>  If you liked this, come check out my [tumblr](http://joanthangroff.tumblr.com) or talk to me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/Ll4MDUNBAR).


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